Texas Overture

Latest Episodes:

From the Archive: Hobos & Bozos (ft. Bill Daniel) Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

This week, we're excited to resurrect the first of several very special lost tapes from the Texas Overture archive.

TO Episode 3: Hobos & Bozos with Bill Daniel

Originally released on April 1, 2023, this is one of our favorite episodes—and one of a few we had to take down because they included some songs we technically did not have permission to use. Lol.

In this case, we did the time for the crime of “Trains Across the Sea” by Silver Jews, which I've finally replaced with our new theme song.

Together, we discuss train-hopping hobo culture, crust punks, mythological monikers, graffiti and surveillance, and get off track with the Texas-born filmmaker and artist behind Who Is Bozo Texino?

Our train-hopping friend, who goes by the name “Kenny Chesney,” also delivers his firsthand account of the lifestyle post-2020.

We hope you enjoy <3

Links:

https://www.billdaniel.net/who-is-bozo-texino

https://www.youtube.com/@TheHoboShoestring

https://www.billdaniel.net/store/mostly-true-3rd-edition-signedinscribed

Minor Regional Artists (with Tessa Granowski) Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

Hey everyone🌠 In today's episode, we're joined by Tessa Granowski, the wonderfully curious curator behind Nature of Things.

Earlier this summer, Faith hit the road to catch Tessa's show "Minor Regional Novelist" in Dallas, which explored themes of Texas regionalism, identity, and place through the works of 16 artists, including members of "The Dallas Nine" and some of the state's legendary outsider artists

Together, we discuss the legacy of Jerry Bywaters, what can be learned from the Reverend Johnnie Swearingen, the state of regional aesthetics, and what it means to be curating art in Texas. 🔎

As always, thanks for listening.

Links:

Visit Nature of Things:

https://natureofthings.xyz/information

https://www.instagram.com/natureofthings/?hl=en

Stefan Simcovitz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Simchowitz

https://thenewsstandproject.net/

Matthew Chambers painter https://thenewsstandproject.net/MATTHEW-CHAMBERS-AND-BRIAN-LOTTI

https://texasarchive.org/2008_01062

Spirited Journey's Book on Texas Outsider Art: https://archive.org/details/spiritedjourneys00adel_0

Beer Can House

El Franco's DJ Screw Paintings

The Art of The Lone Star That's Not Lone https://glasstire.com/2026/03/23/the-art-of-the-lone-star-state-is-not-that-lone/

Antonio Lechuga https://www.instagram.com/lettucelook/?hl=en

Ali Dipp https://www.franklinparrasch.com/ali-dipp-unceasing-change-and-everlasting-duration

The Accommodation https://store.deepvellum.org/products/the-accommodation

Summer Dispatch (live at Barton Springs) Jul 26, 2026

Show notes

In this special edition of Texas Overture, we're bringing you a beautiful triptych of audio experience.. .We'll hear Faith's reflections on place and memory after a formative journey through New Mexico. Then, we check in on Camille as she processes her new volunteer experience with Austin's most underrated animal mascot, the noble bat. We'll wind things down with a conversation between our two hosts on America's 250th anniversary at the iconic Barton Springs, where we cover the scent of the summer, do a nationwide temperature check, share celebrity sightings in Marfa, and more. As always, thank you for listening <3

The Myth of Red Texas (with David Griscom) Jun 16, 2026

Show notes

Hey everyone, and welcome back… This week, we’re happy to sit down with author and political commentator David Griscom to discuss his debut book, The Myth of Red Texas: Cowboys, Populism, and Class War in the Radical South.

There is a commonly held belief that conservatism and rugged individualism run through the veins of Texas. In an innate sort of way like the tributaries of the Guadalupe, the Frio, and the Rio Grande. Griscom's book looks closer at the stories that often sit unexamined, and finds that the reality of Texas political history is much more complicated. Being in the business of under-explored Texas history, we were all ears.

We discuss: the myth of the cowboy, the barbed wire fence-cutting wars, early Populist encampments, former rodeo clowns with left leaning convictions, Christian socialism, the state of Texas today, and more 🌠

The book contains so much interesting storytelling and analysis beyond what we were able to speak about in the episode. Consider picking up a copy if you’re interested to read more.

Link: https://orbooks.com/catalog/the-myth-of-red-texas/

And of course, thank you to @davidgriscom for talking with us!

The Disappearing Pictographs May 15, 2026

Show notes

Hi everyone… we’re back! In this episode, we take a research trip down to the Texas-Mexico border to view a portion of the 335+ fading pictographs scattered across the rocky walls of Seminole Canyon…

Through this, we discuss the work of artist Mary Virginia Carson and cognitive anthropologist and muralist Dr. Carolyn Boyd; the White Shaman mural; Mesoamerican mythology; fragrant offerings through speech-breath; John Dewey and Walter Benjamin; the art object and its aura; our boots-on-the-ground camping experience; stumbling upon a catfish fry; and more....

Thanks for listening ⭐️

IG: https://www.instagram.com/texasoverture/

Main Sources:

The White Shaman Mural: An Enduring Creation Narrative in the Rock Art of the Lower Pecos by Dr. Carolyn Boyd
Mary Virginia Carson: Capturing Rock Art with Water Colors by Marise McDermott
Speech-Breath: Mapping the Multisensory Experience in Pecos River Style Pictography by Dr. Carolyn E. Boyd and Ashley Busby

Art as Experience by John Dewey
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Walter Benjamin

A/C & The Endless Interior Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

After a two-year hiatus, Faith and Camille are finally back with a new episode of Texas Overture!

In this installment, we go on a journey through time from 1920s San Antonio to 1950s Austin. We end up, of course, in the year of 2026, where we discuss how air conditioning has transformed both the world around us and the world inside. Our special guest for this episode is Sachin Benny, writer of Summer Lightning, a fantastic weekly newsletter focused on shifts in culture and technology. With him, we discuss Rem Koolhaas’s Junkspace, the endless interior, time and memory, H.P. Lovecraft’s Cool Air, the beauty industry, and more… <3

Be sure to follow OUR NEW SUBSTACK for more new episodes, bonus content, updates, art, and more !

Our Substack: https://texasoverture.substack.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/texasoverture

Sachin's Substack: https://substack.com/@summerlightning

Junkspace by Rem Koolhaas: https://akephale.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/rem_koolhaas_junkspace.pdf

New theme song composed by Clint Dierker!!

The Jewel of West Texas Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

We explore the life of "Border Healing Woman" Jewel Babb. Babb lived for nearly 90 years in the West Texas desert as a mystical healer, mother, and goat herder. Source: "Border Healing Woman" by Pat Littledog

The Charmed Life of James Avery with Sam Cummins Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

Fellow Texan Sam Cummins of Nymphet Alumni fame joins us for our Valentines's Day special. Together we explore the life of a notorious Texas jeweler of legend. James Avery is known for his tinkling silver charm bracelets, sleazy love life, and vigorous Episcopalianism. We discuss the TX archetype of The James Avery Girl, sleep away camps, talismanic charms throughout the ages, charm bracelets as autobiography/protection/handcuffs, Milagros, Queen Victoria The Influencer, Texas-Euro-kitsch, what it takes to be a true romantic, and more... Thanks for listening to Texas Overture :)

Extra reading:

https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/gods-jeweler/

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1040106/

2024 Overture Jan 07, 2024

Show notes

2023... what a year! We catch each other up on our personal lives ( Faith journeyed to West Texas, Camille ritualistically burned effigies) then list the films, books and songs we had on heavy rotation in the past calendar year. Plus, as a special end of year treat, we answer select calls from TO listeners.

The Marian Apparition Episode Dec 19, 2023

Show notes

In honor of the Christmas season and the recent feast day, we pay respects to the Virgin Mary and her place in South Central Texas culture. We discuss Mary as a unifying maternal figures, Juan Diego and the Virgin de Guadalupe, Ingo Swann’s “The Great Apparitions of Mary,” and the implications of Marian apparitions around the world. Plus, we’re joined by our friend Abby to talk briefly about her experience as an apparition witness on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje...

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